The present work, produced by the ECOSIGN Consortium, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Ecodesign in the Textile Sector Unit 05: Certifications in the Textile Sector STeP by Oeko-Tex®, UNI EN ISO 9001, UNI EN ISO 14001, SA8000, OHSAS 18001, ISO 45001 Paolo Ghezzo. [email protected] 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................ 2 Definition of the Sustainability .................................................................. 2 5.3 Sustainable Textile Production (STeP) by OEKO-TEX® ......................... 3 5.1 ISO 9000 ............................................................................................... 7 5.2 ISO 14001 ............................................................................................. 8 5.3 SA 8000 ................................................................................................ 8 5.4 OHSAS 18001 ....................................................................................... 9 5.5 ISO 45001 ........................................................................................... 10 5.7 MySTeP and Made in Green by OEKO-TEX® ...................................... 10 With this unit, students will be able to: ‒ Resume the principles of quality, environmental, safety and health management certifications in the workplace: UNI EN ISO 9001, UNI EN ISO 14001, SA8000 OHSAS 18001 ‒ Know the STeP by Oeko-Tex® certification as a harmonized sustainability certification Ecoinnovation Skills for European Designers, Project number: 562573-EPP-1-2015-1-SI-EPPKA2-SSA. Disclaimer: The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsi•ble for any use which may be made of the information contained therein 5.1 Introduction The concept of sustainable development is based on the principle of resource conservation: nature, land, biodiversity and ecosystems must be supported for a harmonious life in the present and future. 5.2 Definition of the Sustainability Today, one of the first objectives that are required of companies is to tend towards sustainability, but in order to meet the requirements it is important to try to understand what sustainability means. On several occasions, it has tried to give a correct definition that could assist companies to set concrete objectives with respect to this topic. Following, some famous definitions: - “…improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems”- Caring for the Earth, 1991, UNEP, IUCN, WWF - “..Maximum value which a community can consume in a certain period and still expect to be as well off at the end of that period as it was at the beginning…” J. R. Hichs - “… Sustainable development means improving the quality of life not exceeding the carrying capacity of the ecosystems” - ONU, 1992 - “.. Development that delivers basic environmental, social and economic services to all members of a community, without threatening the viability of the natural, built and social systems upon which the delivery of these services depends” - International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, 1994 - “A community is unsustainable if it consumes resources faster than they can be renewed, produces more wastes than natural systems can process or, relies upon geographically distant sources for its own needs” - Sustainable Community Roundtable The statements you can understand what is meant when we talk about sustainability, appreciating every variation that is given depending on the historical period and the context in which it is born. However, what is commonly accepted as the univocal definition of SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT is shown below: «Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs» - Brundtland Report (1987). The fundamental concept introduced here is that of "DEVELOPMENT" which underlines that this topic is not static, but on the contrary, it is meant as a process of continuous refinement. Eco-Design in the Textile Sector Unit 05: Certifications in the Textile Sector Page 2 of 12 The terms “Sustainability / Sustainable Development" are frequently linked to the environmental aspect, but in reality the meaning goes far beyond this principle, even if this aspect is taken into account. When it comes to sustainability it is important to know that it concerns three main aspects: • ECONOMIC sustainability represents the ability to generate income and work to satisfy people’s basic needs. • SOCIAL sustainability represents the ability to ensure human well-being conditions (safety, health, education) equally distributed by class and gender. • ENVIRONMENTAL sustainability represents the ability to produce while respecting the environment. The textile production, as described in Unit 02, consists of a long chain, which starts from the extraction of raw materials to make the yarn and / or from the cultivation of fibers, passes through various intermediate processes (spinning, weaving and ennobling) ) to end with the production of the final good, which can be a clothing, an home textile, a technical product, etc. Taking into consideration the life cycle of textile products, as detailed in Unit 06, in several studies relating to different textile products (LCA of a shirt, a tablecloth) it emerges that the entire production chain can cover half of the aspects and environmental impacts of the concerned product. As shown in Units 06 and 08 of the basic module, an Environmental Management System (EMS) is a tool with which both public and private organizations demonstrate that they monitor all the processes related to the environment: the aspects and the resulting impacts. Sustainable practices in the textile industry include reducing the resources consumption (materials, water, energy), minimizing the consumption of hazardous chemicals, adopting efficient and environmentally friendly production processes, and introducing the 3R concept - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, quality management, worker safety management and corporate social responsibility. 5.3 Sustainable Textile Production (STeP) by OEKO-TEX® The STeP (Sustainable Textile Production) by Oeko-Tex® is an independent certification system for producers in the textile supply chain who want to communicate their results in terms of sustainable production in a transparent, credible and clear way. Introduced in 2013, the STeP certification aims to constantly implement eco- compatible production processes and ensure optimal conditions of health and safety at work and socially appropriate working conditions. Eco-Design in the Textile Sector Unit 05: Certifications in the Textile Sector Page 3 of 12 The certification tool is aimed at providing companies with targeted support for the continuous improvement of their sustainability performance. Certification is possible for the production plants of all the processing stages, from the production of fibers to the manufacture of the final textile products, and provides for the implementation of production processes that respect the environment, health and safety of workers and working conditions socially acceptable. It also establishes performance levels in terms of production sustainability in addition to legislative regulations, regardless of the country of production. The STeP by Oeko-Tex® standard focuses on a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of production processes and conditions. It uses standardized criteria that are comparable internationally. The standardization process involves the analysis, evaluation and continuous updating, for example in case of new market developments, or changes in the law, or in the case of technological innovations that improve certain environmental aspects. It supports the textile sector to achieve continuous improvement of its production environment and unifies the various criteria that make a company sustainable in a single certification: STeP by Oeko-Tex® provides the possibility of a modular analysis of all the relevant company areas, integrating principles and rules regarding: • management of chemical substances used in the production process • environmental performance (in reference to the binding legislation of the country or to minimum requirements present in the standard itself, following the principle that the most stringent requirement is applicable) • environmental management and protection (in reference to ISO 14001); • quality management (in reference to ISO 9001) • health and safety of workers (with reference to the OHSAS 18001 standard, to the binding legislation of the country or to the minimum requirements present in the standard itself) • corporate social responsibility (in reference to the SA8000 standard) A company that certifies STeP by Oeko-Tex® must therefore demonstrate compliance with minimum requirements in the individual thematic areas: Management of chemicals • Compliance with the guidelines of a restricted substances list (RSL) • Proper management of harmful substances • Compliance with the principles of ‘green chemicals’ • Periodical training regarding the handling of the chemicals used Eco-Design in the Textile Sector Unit 05: Certifications in the Textile Sector Page 4 of 12 • Obligation to appropriately communicate dangerous chemicals subject to restrictions